G. WABNE.]

203

C—4.

113. Do you think a man can do justice to himself working in a place with a high temperature ? —No, they cannot, andjjhey do not work as hard ; they do not attempt to do so. 114. Who determines how hard they shall work ?—Themselves, principally, nowadays. 115. At all times ?—Very frequently. 116. And you do not think any good would be served by fixing a standard temperature I —No. In the event of the temperature rising so high we are sufficiently human to say, " Well, boys, it is too hot. We will stop this place." I have made such a remark myself and stopped the work. 117. Why are you working six-hour shifts in that face ? —To push on the work, principally. I deemed that a wet and gassy place. 118. But not a hot place ? —No, not at the face, because sometimes we get the temperature down there as low as on the surface. 119. When did you do that ? —Some time ago. 120. Would you be surprised to know that on Friday there was a difference of between 51° and 76° moist temperature ? —That might be possible. You might possibly go down to-day and find that temperature, while to-morrow totally different conditions would prevail. 121. You say that you are working six-hour shifts to push the work on ? —That is the principal object, as far as the companies are concerned. 122. You think more work would be done by tour six-hour shifts than by three eight-hour shifts ?—Yes. .... 123. Then, it is better for the company to have six-hour shifts than eight-hour shifts ? —Yes. 124. Still, you would not suggest that a standard be fixed ? —No, I think we are sufficiently human nowadays to make them six-hour places if it is necessary. 125. You yourself, Mr. Warne, might be sufficiently human, but other managers may not: in the interests of all, would it not be better to have a six-hour standard ? —No, because it would be made to apply to any place where there was no real necessity for it. 126. Would you sooner work in a cool place below than in a hot place ? —I would rather work in a cool place, of course. 127. Therefore there is an advantage in working in a cool place '( —Yes, certainly. 128. What effect has working in a hot place on a man ?—lt has a bad effect: you are extremely fatigued after the day's work is over. 129. Can you take your food as well ? —Yes, I could always take my food as well after working in a hot place as after working in a cool place. 130. Seeing that you have admitted these matters, do you not think that it is better to have a standard fixed by law, and so cause less confusion between employers and men ? —No, I do not think so. lam not in favour of a fixed standard. We would have such a state of affairs that the men would refuse to work unless they had six-hour shifts. 131. Would you sooner work on the surface at a temperature of 100° or at a temperature of 80° ? —lt would be much more pleasant working with a temperature of 80°. 132. Therefore you would sooner work in a cool place either on the surface or underground % — I would rather work in a cool place underground, say, at 70°, than at 100° on the surface. 133. Do you think that a high temperature is fatiguing both underground and on the surface ?— Yes. 134. Do you think the same temperature is as fatiguing on the surface as underground ? —1 submit that if you take a miner from underground, and put him working on the surface on a hot summer's day, that man is far more fatigued than he would be if he were working underground. 135. Compare a man working underground at 90° and another working on the surface at 80° : would the underground man be a great deal more fatigued ? —Yes, that might be so. 136. In the development-work of a mine do you realize that there are many places which are difficult to ventilate ?—Yes, they are the worst mines in any part of the world. 137. Seeing that it is difficult to ventilate those places, how would you make provision for the men working there ? —The means that we adopt is by exhausting and forcing the air; but as to laying down a general rule that the exhaust system would be the more satisfactory, I say that it would not be possible to carry the necessary air to the faces by that means. It would be almost impossible without both systems. You must have both processes in the mine. 138. Under those circumstances, what would you suggest where it was almost a matter of impossibility to get the ventilation which you would like to get ? —I would put in a fan where a forcing-blast was found necessary, and I would put in large exhaust fans. It is no use talking about 8 in. and 6 in. pipes. 139. Supposing you had 20 ft. to go to prove a reef, and the air bad and the temperature dry, what would you suggest in order to get that work done ? —I would not do the work at all if it were purely a prospecting matter and you did not know that there was something of value there. 140. And you think that every company or manager would look at it from that point of view ? — 1 think so. If it were only a matter of 20 ft. it becomes purely a prospecting question, and we would not go to much trouble to try the reef. You cannot depend on our reefs —they may be worth Is. a ton to-day and £5 a ton to-morrow. 141. In the event of your wishing to push the work on, you would work four shifts instead of three ?—lf the conditions were unfavourable to the men I would. 142. If you could not get air it would be unfavourable ? —lt is not only a matter of air, there is also the heat to be considered. 143. If the prospects were good enough to warrant your going on, would you suggest som reduction in the hours of labour to be worked ? — Undoubtedly.